Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I apologise for my late arrival, but I had the pleasure of attending Trinity College Dublin earlier to see my local primary school win the all-Ireland debating competition. My daughter is in the class and it was amazing to witness the debate. She was supporting, not debating.

I recognise how hard Senator Barrett has worked on this proposal on behalf of students to eradicate excessive bureaucracy and agree with him. My experience of teaching in universities and teacher training college was there were many excellent lecturers but also many poor ones. One of the key difficulties with the quality of teaching at third level is that while many lecturers are expert in their field, they have not been taught how to teach. I agree with Senator Jim D'Arcy that external validation of teaching and learning is needed. This should happen through self-assessment but also through spot checks. We are all in danger of becoming rusty if we are not subject to external examination. The external examiner should be up to speed and at the cutting edge, not into micromanaging. A line needs to be drawn in this regard that examiners should review substantive issues, not micromanagement issues, and ensure this distinction is made. We must be alert to the quality of teaching at third level.

Senator Barrett is correct to point out that Irish universities have fallen in the world rankings, which is a major concern. This issue was raised again at the Change Nation conference last weekend in Farmleigh. Our universities need to improve their ranking and the quality of teaching and learning, as well as the quality of research, will contribute hugely to this.

Furthermore, a serious and important debate is needed on the balance of teaching and research experience lecturers should be required to have. Our cutting edge researchers may only teach between two and five hours a week yet they are most up to speed with developments. When I lectured in Mary Immaculate College, I had just completed a PhD. I was hot off the press when it came to research, as I had spent five years researching my topic, before securing a post in the college. However, ten years later, if I took up a post lecturing without having conducted research in the interim, I would not necessarily be in touch, given the changes that have taken place in technology in the education sector.

Lecturers must also have good communication skills. People may teach all their lives and never engage in research. Research can ignite and enthuse an audience, but the delivery of the content is important. It is crucial that a balance be struck and that teaching be monitored, with guidelines given to third level institutions, to ensure the quality of teaching and the input of research.